You will work on the thermo-mechanical reliability of next-generation semiconductor packages, combining hands-on materials characterisation with finite element modelling. The work spans the full loop from material and interface testing through to multi-scale simulation and validation on real packaged test vehicles, in collaboration with colleagues at IME and with IHL/industry partners. As package formats continue to scale up in size, warpage, delamination, and interface fracture become increasingly critical challenges. Deep capability in materials characterisation and thermo-mechanical modelling in these areas will be central to the role.

Responsibilities: 

• Characterise the mechanical and thermo-mechanical behaviour of packaging materials and interfaces, e.g. tensile/shear testing, adhesion and fracture toughness measurement, thermal analysis (DMA/TMA), and warpage metrology
• Design and run reliability experiments on packaging materials and test vehicles
• Build thermo-mechanical FEA models that capture warpage, stress, and interface behaviour at multiple scales, from die level to large package formats
• Connect experiment and simulation, calibrate models against measurements and use them to guide the next experiment
• Publish in leading conferences and journals, and engage with industry partners on project executions

Qualifications: 

• PhD in Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science, Applied Mechanics, or a closely related field
• Hands-on experience in mechanical testing and materials characterisation, this is a core requirement
• Working capability in thermo-mechanical FEA using ANSYS Mechanical and/or ABAQUS; scripting (APDL or Python) is a plus but not a must
• Comfortable working across both bench and simulation, this combination is what we value most

Additionally, for senior level

• A track record of recent hands-on research in thermo-mechanical reliability, interface/fracture mechanics, or materials characterisation, evidenced by publications or equivalent technical output
• Experience with warpage, interface failure, or reliability of electronic packages is strongly preferred
• Ability to drive a research direction independently and mentor junior team members
• Experience with fracture mechanics or electronic packaging is a plus but not required at entry level, we will support the right candidate in coming up to speed.